-- Japanese company Marubeni Corp, Japanese gas
company Toho Gas and Portuguese energy company Galp
Energia to jointly acquire gas distributor GGND which
is now solely owned by Galp Energia (approved Oct. 13)

-- French drugmaker Sanofi unit Sanofi Pasteur SA
to acquire sole control of some human vaccines and
immunoglobulins which it now jointly owns with U.S. drugmaker
Merck & Co (notified Sept. 23/deadline Oct.
28/simplified)

The European Commission has 25 working days after a deal is
filed for a first-stage review. It may extend that by 10 working
days to 35 working days, to consider either a company's proposed
remedies or an EU member state's request to handle the case.

Most mergers win approval but occasionally the Commission
opens a detailed second-stage investigation for up to 90
additional working days, which it may extend to 105 working
days.

SIMPLIFIED:

Under the simplified procedure, the Commission announces the
clearance of uncontroversial first-stage mergers without giving
any reason for its decision. Cases may be reclassified as
non-simplified - that is, ordinary first-stage reviews - until
they are approved.
(Compiled by Foo Yun Chee)